Gamingbolt - "Regarding the current opinion of the Xbox One, don't count on Microsoft changing their DRM strategy any time soon. In fact, they'll be working to "educate" gamers about the benefits of their policies".

Looks like M$ went back to bullying. He keeps saying that Xbox One will be on par or even better than the PS4, and that the PS4 is a "Xbox 360 version 2" but I wish he would explain why, and how an inferior hardware could beat the PS4. His last point is that the free games you get on Xbox (Halo 3 and AC2? please) stay with you forever, and PS+ games go away if you cancel your subscription, but how long does it take to beat those games? Even more puzzling, who is going to stop paying for PS+ when you get great discounts and a ton of free games? People aren't jumping to the PS4 for no reason, Sony must thank M$ PR for all the new fans

I already got Halo 3 for free when I got my 360 two years ago. Same with Fable 3. Platinumed AC2 on PS3 forever ago, and Walmart was giving away AC2 free with AC3 anyways. Heck, even AC Revelations comes with a free AC1 on PS3.

It's a bit of a fine line, bragging about sloppy seconds. Old games are old, and them being free once before and elsewhere diminishes the bragging rights a bit. Walmart bundles the oldies away all the time (GTA Tales from Liberty City free with Max Payne 3, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 free with Far Cry3).

I platinumed Sleeping Dogs from Plus, I don't *need* it forever Major. It's Game Over. Doubly for games from 2007. If August freebies are gonna be similar golden oldies like BioShock or Saints Row2, you run the risk of bragging about catch-up. Both came free with PS3 purchases of BioShock Infinite and Saints Row3 already. Speaking of which, SR:The Third comes to Plus this month. That's where you should aim imo.

The "PS4 games go away forever if you don't pay PS+" thing is absolute bull, they just become unplayable until you pay for PS+ again, which is old news already. Compare that to the XBox One, which ALSO makes its games unplayable on account of THE WHOLE SYSTEM BECOMING UNPLAYABLE.

And yes, the PS4 is not allowed on DoD networks, but neither are the PS3 or 360, so that's a moot point. Except it's not a moot point for the XBox One because THE SYSTEM BECOMES UNPLAYABLE.

As for the whole Don Mattrick thing, that is an utterly despicable move. Microsoft has been vague and confusing even to its own people, that's why Don Mattrick's been giving out information that contradicts other employees. The guy's not dumb, he's been misinformed. And Hryb and Microsoft are using him as a scapegoat. It's reprehensible and a clear sign that management in Microsoft is utterly shameless.

Keep it up Major Nelson and Mattrick. You guys just reaffirm my decision to avoid the ONE like the plague being the best decision I have made regarding gaming.

MS is going about this whole scenario ALL WRONG. Instead of just talking about why they made the decisions they did and how it's beneficial to their consumers? They act like school yard bullies with their obnoxious arrogance and ignorance.

You're not going to win any of those sitting on the fence with a wait and see approach with this attitude. You (MS) guys are so snobbish, arrogant and come off like pompous D-bags. I "was" (my XBL account runs out in August so technically I still am) an XBL member since day 1. My son has been an XBL member for 8+ years. We are both going with the PS4 ONLY next generation and we are not looking back unless these restrictions -> used, rentals and no every 24 hr verification, are rescinded.

I don't want to purchase a console and wonder down the road if it will be a paper weight because you guys move on to something else.

"Major Nelson was asked this during an interview at E3: What about down the road when MS goes to it's next console or if you guys were to move on to something else in general. How are consumers suppose to be assured that the servers that handle these 24 hr verifications will always exist and the XBOX ONE wont become a paper weight (paraphrasing on my part)?

Major Nelson response to that question? Next generation hasn't even started yet and you are asking me questions like this? ^THAT WAS HIS RESPONSE! Are you kidding me? Yeah MS call us crazy but we actually would like to know if these consoles will have online verification indefinitely or only as long as MS profits from the X1 and then it all gets shut down. Silly consumers we are."

^That was bad enough but I also want the option of choosing how I obtain (purchase or rent) my software and what to do with it once I have (keep it, sell it or trade it in where and how I choose). Not have the decision made for me.

@ xHeavYx - Inferior hardware plus cloud processing may boost the performance over the PS4. I don't know if this is true and fanboys are currently out of control here but you asked a question and this is the answer.

The thing is, not one fanboy here, xbone or ps4, knows the answer to whether it will be able to hold its own or not when cloud processing has been optimised over time. We could be looking at something that will just improve and improve, and is nearly uncharted territory. This could be a route the PS5 even takes if it pans out.

It seems like MS is taking a huge gamble that may or may not pay off. The hive(herd) mind has said it won't but it seems emotions are running rampant since E3, and most people don't have a clue what they are talking about. Somebody must have done a great sales pitch at MS.

Not everyone is a shill here BTW, some people try to look at it from both stand points. PS4 is going the tried and tested route that we are all happy with and MS are going the futuristic route that quite possibly could be too ahead of it's time, very much like On-live was.

I am amazed more people do not find the technology proposed to be fascinating at the very least. I am a huge fan of technology so will be watching this unfold with interest (while I play my PS4 haha).

The 24 hour "check in" is simply a way to make sure you haven't traded your games. Your game rips from the disc to the HDD of the XboxOne. If there is no way to verify you have the disc, you can't access the library. Last gen you could rip all your games to the HDD, but the disc needed to be in the drive for verification. Not a huge deal if you are home, but remote play would be restricted to the game in the drive. Having access to all your games without a disc locally or remotely is a very nice feature to have.

When you trade a game in, the authorized retailer needs to unlock it from your console so they can make it work on the next persons. Once again, the 24 hour check will send a signal to the server blocking your game from working since you sold it. Sounds kind of fair. This check can be done over your cell and uses very little data.

As for the games we own when the console life cycle ends, who is to say they won't be downloadable to the next console? If Microsoft decided to call it quits and publishing stops, I can't think of a reason the remote feature couldn't be removed and downloaded games get verification old school with the disc in the drive. It would be counter productive of Microsoft to discuss this before the system launches.

the thing is they say lose ps+ games, i dont mind there free,so if in 5 years time i cant play them i dont mind or my net down i still can. ms want you to pay £45 for a game and then it be unplayable in 24hrs if net down

[So people that haven't read 1984 aren't "capable" of understanding your reference to a small detail of an idea (one word in the pseudo-language)?

I've read 1984 and I had to Google your reference. It's one word. Not everyone remembers one fake word.]

Now that's the point, isn't it? If you don't understand something, it's not like you can't look it up on the internet, while you're ON the internet. It's not much more complicated than clicking a link. The comment, and responses like yours are the whole point of why I post things and go out of my way to get responses: because people too often act like spoon-fed fools who can't think for themselves; and when people do think for themselves, the mentally-defunct majority seeks to beat them back into the mainstream.

You looked it up, but I'll leave it up to you to decide if I was actually complimenting you for actually looking it up or complimenting you backhandedly because of your reaction.

As far as the "one word" in a story which revolved solely around deception, changing the meaning of words to make it fit the twisting of facts and limiting a person's mind because the truth damages their agenda... well, I hope some people got that. That's exactly what Microsoft is doing, and leading people who aren't thinking into a web of deception. The stakes are too high not to be a little elitist in thinking and expressing myself because the people that are pushing a very intrusive and oppressive console are using the same methods to hoodwink the masses.

[Furthermore, if you force a reference and/or make 50% of your comment "ZOMG guys, mah cool reference!! :D ", you're going to get disagrees from people rolling their eyes anyway.]

I often do things that will get me banned just to force an issue; that means nothing to me. Disagrees could be considered as, to someone who has a thick skin, a tally of fools when it comes to someone not capable of putting a word into google and hitting enter. I don't think of the disagrees I got as such in this instance because I didn't think that kids would care to look up the meaning; I did, however, expect an adult or two to nail it down.

Any reaction is just icing on the cake.

[And if you think so lowly of N4G, then just leave. No one is keeping you here.]

Um... no; although I never said that I thought low of N4G, even if I did I have a right to an opinion as do you. Banning me for free, non-offensive expression... interesting. If I got banned, I wonder if this comment is a microcosm of what could happen if you made the comment on the internet from your Xbox One?

At any rate, N4G is more for kids, and since it's also summertime, there are probably more kids here. I did not expect kids to have read 1984. They aren't capable because they probably aren't in the grade level to have such a book as a requirement to read nor an interest in that particular book yet.

When this phrase is used, it is very, very bad news. Do you know who else used this phrase? Iwata said it when the Wii-U console and game sales took a nose-dive.

(these are actual, verbatim quotes from Iwata)

"We have not been able to solidly communicate the product value of Wii U to our consumers yet"

"We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product."

"We would like to take time to work thoroughly for its penetration, by making various efforts to have many people understand its product value" (a.k.a we need to educate the lowly peasant about our product)

These quotes from Iwata sound nearly identical to what Microsoft is now saying, and the Xbox One isn't even out yet! Microsoft is also having a lot of trouble "communicating the value" of the Xbox One, and look what that did to the Wii-U's hardware sales...

The thing is, I don't think anyone but the most ardent Sony fanboy can question the value of the Xbox One, it's the cost of said value that is the problem. Seeing how Microsoft's only real response is "it's the future" or "well we have a console for offline gamers, it's called an xbox 360" it's safe to say that they need to try an awful lot harder.

"It’s also revealed that the 24 hour check-in is a means to update your library, for when you lend games to friends."

Lie. It's to check up on the licenses and boot you if necessary.

"And say goodbye to leaks, since Microsoft is also working on a system where games can only be activated on release, no matter when you buy them."

I'll believe it when I see it.

"It also looks at the PS4 as “Xbox 360 version 2″ due to the lack of social and multi-tasking features."

LMFAO! This is the funniest fallacy of the whole article. Major Nelson didn't pay attention to the PS4 reveal at all. Plus, forgive us for wanting to play games instead of Snapping into a Slim Jim... I mean Skype.

"The company doesn’t even see Sony as a threat. Even better, it believes that the PS4′s graphics RAM will run hotter, besides not being as optimized as the Xbox One. Thus leading to both being evenly matched or, believe it or not, the Xbox One performing ahead."

Damage control. Every developer who's worked with the PS4 has nothing but fantastic things to say about its tech, and there are plenty of references showcasing the superiority of the PS4 over the X1. The X1 is going to rely on "teh powah of da Kloud" to catch up, but too bad it won't do them any good considering the latency and networking problems.

"The good news is that the company sees Don Mattrick as some one who is making them look worse, and is working to muffle him."

Don Mattrick can only work with what the X1 gives him. It's not his fault, it's Microsoft's fault. He may have said "stick with a 360" but it's a prevailing attitude at Microsoft that he just put into words. Adam Orth anyone?

"As for military personnel playing consoles: the defense given is that PS3/PS4 won’t be allowed on DoD networks. So the whole issue of military members switching to the PlayStation while on deployment is a non-issue. Scroll down in the comments on that thread, and you’ll find military personnel who agree – but state that they can still play offline. Also, how would that inspired a switch to the Xbox One, since it needs to be online?"

*facepalm* Really MS, really? So rather than just allowing military personel the ability to play offline, you'll simply say that the PS4 won't be able to play online? Really? It looks like Don Mattrick isn't the only one making MS look bad.

"Nelson also talked about changing the messaging and marketing campaigns to support those whose friends would be jumping to PSN. He said they understood that and were going to be working to actively change the messaging and marketing campaigns. Hilariously, they don’t feel that pre-orders will determine the console war until both consoles are released."

So rather than fixing the problems, changing the policies, you'd rather just tell people in a more pleasing way that they are being screwed? You're right MS, the PS4 isn't your biggest threat. You are.

"He also pointed out that unlike the free games you get on PSN, the two free games per month on XBL are yours forever. Whereas if you cancel your PS Plus subscription, you would lose those games."

Considering that A)The games you get on Live are 7 or more years old and, currently, only going to be given out until November, and B)No one who wants multiplayer will unsub from PS+, your point is moot and completely ridiculous.

aiBreeze thinks only the most ardent Sony fanboy could question the value of a machine that only lets you license the games you have to still pay full price for? Only lets you play games if you are able to connect to the net every day? Has inferior hardware to much lower priced systems?

Seems more like only the most ardent MS fanboy would be able to defend it's value.

Come on fr0sty, the machine does a lot of good things. The ability to switch games on the fly, stream via twitch (I hear the ps4 can use twitch too but not 100% sure) and share games with friends is value. It's the controversial stuff which takes away from that value and makes me refuse to get one. There are a good few things about it where I'd love it if Sony could implement in the ps4.

You must be Major Nelson or M$ PR rep. That was a load of bull. As a long term XB consumer if you don't look at the value of the system something is seriously wrong with you. Those 3 reasons which honestly only 1 is a good value share digital games w/friends. I don't need to switch games on the fly. Not worth a $499 price tag.

@DragonKnight

Honestly liked what you said better than the article, keep up the good work!!!

Me a M$ rep? Lmfao you sure are paranoid.. look through my comments history, I've been hating on the Xbone as much as the next person. I'm just saying it does have good points to it which makes it offer value. It's still a piece of restricted crap that I'm not going to buy but I can at least acknowledge it's good points.

"Regarding the current opinion of the Xbox One, don’t count on Microsoft changing their DRM strategy any time soon. In fact, they’ll be working to “educate” gamers about the benefits of their policies".

Microsoft didn't say it. The author only quoted one word "educate". It's is Microsoft's responsibility to educate consumers of the features and benefits of their console. That's typically how anyone markets a product. Features and benefits. It's incredible that people are crucifying Microsoft for a quote from a third party in reference to an interview by someone else.

System performance. Anyone that says one is inferior to the other is a technical moron. Both use an 8 core x86 derived Jaguar processor. Both use a custom 7000 series GPU by AMD. Both have 8 gigs of ram. Both even sport a blu-ray drive. The main difference is in the ram. Those with the PC knowledge of an 8 year old blindly believe GDDR5 is better than DDR3. I'm guessing its the additional letter and higher number. If this is you, slap yourself for being an idiot. Latency is key. DDR3 is specific to CPU's and GDDR5 is made for GPU's. Both consoles use a combined CPU/GPU configuration which means the ram can't be dedicated for each like it is in PC gaming. Microsoft decided to go with CPU memory and add a buffer to speed up processing. Sony went with GDDR5 which is awesome for the GPU and not so much on the CPU side. Neither solution is ideal, but I personally like the Microsoft solution better. Look up the technical limitations of both and make an informed opinion for yourself.

As for size, any PC gamer/builder knows that airflow is extremely important for performance. PC rigs are not small for a reason. Between the radiators for liquid cooling, big ass fans and even bigger GPU's, a big box is required. I'm a little concerned over the size of the PS4. Durability may be an issue over time. If heat becomes a factor, the bios may be updated to slow the system down. The "tech specs" people came up with are based on pen and paper calculations. Without running some benchmarks on the hardware, it is pure speculation.

How anyone is calling either inferior today is beyond me. The only thing that differentiates one from the other is the software and features. So far the XboxOne has more features, but they also have active DRM to make them work. I'm betting Apple has sold more ipods and iphones along with music from itunes than Sony has sold CD players. People couldn't move away from the discs fast enough for the convenience mp3's provide. Microsoft is allowing us to rip our games into digital downloads, but the DRM is keeping us from trading them in and still playing the game. You can still trade them in, but it's a little more involved.

No your wrong. The systems are not identical. Ps4 is superior as a gaming console. xbox1 is superior if you only consider tv and multi tasking functionality. xbox1 has multi layered OS which is good for multi tasking. 8gb of ddr3 is prime for that purpose. As far as gaming graphics and physics etc. ddr5 is better for that purpose. Am I wrong? So I guess it depends on what you want from a gaming console. xbox one is a good cable box that also plays games. Ps4 is a good gaming console that has some tv functionality.

@Death Your overly cavalier attitude towards XBONE and Microsofts anti-consumer policies is getting old. First of all "educating gamers" is a condescending statement, a proverbial slap in the face to gamers.. Gamers are some of the most passionate well informed consumers of any industry.. We aren't stupid and to be spoken to like Microsoft has been over the last 2 weeks is a testament to their arrogance and innability to understand their audience.. They are bullish and corporate mouthpieces like Don Mattrick, and Major Nelson only echo this greedy self serving ethos that defines the company..

As far as the purported inferiority of the XBONE is concerned there are some major concerns.. Microsoft built the XBONE to their specs wheras Sony let developers build the PS4.. These developer s were adamant about 8 gigs of GDDR5 specifically.. To throw fuel on this fire ther have been reports that Microsoft is having to underclock the apu due to "performance concerns.. You bring up the size of pc cases as if to cast doubt on the ps4's smaller profile. This here is where your argument is falling apart.. Most pc case are large not for cooling effeciency especially considering APU's sport sinked exchangers and fans , yet they are large for expansion purposes.. Adding harddrives, optical drives, larger graphics cards, motherboards, additional RAM, input control boards.. The list goes on.. The Ps3 proved that compactness is of no threat with well made, highly efficient hardware. To speculate that the PS4 will have heat issues just shows you are digging for critiscims to level the playingfield.

Its no secret that I prefer Sony but as a consumer that is fervent about "educating" myself before parting with my money I find that Sony has always treated me well.. I've only ever had one incident of hardware defectiveness with a playstation product and that was a burned out HDMI port on my slim.. Sony has earned a sterling reputation for making the best hardware and the best first party suport.. Microsoft just keeps on burnning bridges and they are unapologetic about it..

I tried to warn the world that if successful with the 360 Microsoft would only get bolder and more demostrative o er their desires to control everything they touch.. They will be the death of our industry if allowed to continue on this path. This reason alone should be enough to abandon the XBOX ship.. But if it's what you want then more power to you. Just stop trying to convince the world that they are so noble. History proves otherwise.

This time it's more than the usual non sense. It's bashing the competition close to the belt. They realized that the Xbones features aren't getting them many fans so they try to tell us that this other console is even worse. But it isn't Microsoft, face it. You just did an awful job in the last couple of years whereas Sony did it's homework and learned it's lesson from the last generation.

I've always had all the systems since 1984, lol. I wii again have all the systems come this December and I can tell you this from an unbiased consumer , I'm far more exited about the XONE than the PS4. Sony always says you don't need this and you don't need that but they always wind up coping the Xbox: bigger controller, online gaming, broadband, paying to play. Lol. Lol. Stop being blind followers and wait till you play both and then talk.

Ok. I'm getting both systems and I'm getting games for both but I'm admitting that I'm more exited over one system over another. How does that constitute being a blind follower. I like games from both systems! Lol. Lovable, please explain .

The fact that MS is restricting you as a costumer and a gamer doesn't bother you at all? Ok fine you have the money, but it's not really about that, the gamers are fighting for their rights.

Why did you think Sony started charging for online? Cause people supported Xbox live and they know they can get away with it. See if you support all these restriction and MS gets away with it, what do you think other company will do next gen? What other restrictions do you think MS or Sony put next gen?

Somebody has to pay for all the servers that are running to get everyone to play under the same umbrella, and now with the fact that you won't need swap disks to play different games is enticing. I'm sorry, it's like getting upset because the phones are getting too expensive. If you can't get a smartphone don't get it, there is nothing wrong with a flip phone, in a way they are more dependable.

. "Sony always says you don't need this and you don't need that but they always wind up coping the Xbox"

Ohh you mean like built in wifi right? Or what about HDMI? Removable/upgradeable hard drives? Ohhh I know you must mean Blu ray.. You're right because everything Microsoft does is for the good of the gamers... Man get lost with your "unbiased gamer" rhetoric...

I agree with you mopar, the PS3 is a far superior hardware than the 360 and I would never say otherwise, but I notice that nobody is saing anything about the good things that Xbox has done. I remember when the Ps2 came out everyone was just plaing single players games and no achievements, now look where we are. Consumers are hesitant to buy games without online play, use of hard drives. Look, the PS4 controller is so much like the Xbox . Seriously, I don't understand the hostility. Lol

It's sad because it's obvious from reading comments on this site (which is 90% sony fans) that many are surely lacking in education and definitely need to be educated.

Many of you spew nonsense like the ps4 is 50% more powerful then you post links to websites that only talk about the Ram being faster & the gpu being faster. Those are stats on paper and not real world calculations. Developers have already been saying that it's a slight difference "IF ANY".

Microsoft's CPU specs haven't been announced but we do know from several articles that it's custom built and Microsoft augmented it to maximize games.

You can say all you want that developers are paid to say this stuff, or they don't want to say anything to go against the console they are developing for...Well that makes some sense..but, the eye test is what matters and at E3 it's Microsoft that stole the show in regards to the games shown and played! I know that doesn't sit well with sony only fans...But every website that attended is saying the same thing. The xbox one games looked and played better!

Also, no one is making a big deal about the games for sony at E3, freezing, and studdering...Just so you non tech kids understand, that's what happens when your console is over heating....

Performance is one thing, specs is another...Major Nelson summed it up perfect with a common sense statement.

"the PS4′s graphics RAM will run hotter, besides not being as optimized as the Xbox One. Thus leading to both being evenly matched or, believe it or not, the Xbox One performing ahead"

Sounds about right. Sony took a risk going with the new faster ram, and those gains in speed look better on paper than in real world gaming.

If you don't believe me understand this...My computer doesn't have the super fast ram that the ps4 has, but it will blow away the ps4 in graphics...How can that be? My computer uses the same ram that is in the xbox one!

There are many other things that go into game graphics and performance that 50% faster ram. But you sony fans wouldn't understand that.

Sony always throws numbers at you pigeons and you guys eat it up like bread crumbs on the ground outside of a dump! They know that's all you need to hear. Problem is, those numbers are just that...numbers....Games are the proof!

I will leave you with one question. Why is it that the xbox one is capable of displaying games at 4k resolution but the ps4 is not? That doesn't seem very future proof. 4k tvs will be more affordable in 4 years.....I will have one sometime this year.

Fact is, Sony went for a status quo current type of system. Xbox One is definitely more aimed or next gen future type stuff.

Example:

Kinnect 2.0 Tv & game intergration Skype on everyones TV Their crazy investment in Cloud computing. (Butying a cloud streaming service ISN'T THE SAME as what MS has down with their 300,000 plus servers dedicated and made to augment games)

Sure Sony has ps eye...but it's a gimmick and an add on that not everyone will buy so it won't be used for much just like this last gen...sure sony has bought out a cloud game streaming company...not the same as building your own cloud infrastructure and making your console always online to take advantage of it.

Big difference. When developers know that everyone has the kinnect 2.0 and everyone is online...they can maximize ALL OF THEIR GAMES for this and it will push the industry forward.

Xbox One is revolutionary and when the Metal Gear Solid dev says that there is little difference if any at all...I would believe him as he has always taken the stance of quality over anything! But he's not alone saying that and sony fans will continue to shout out the numbers that Sony as threw their way! Pigeons